Vegan Chef Wins Food Network Competition

June 21, 2013

by Compassion Over Killing Staff

What happens when you put a vegan chef on a cooking competition show that is all about skill, speed, and ingenuity? They win, of course. That’s exactly what happened on Tuesday night when Philadelphia restaurant Vedge’s chef Rich Landau competed on the Food Network’s Chopped.

With a menu that included chia-seed encrusted summer rolls in a mushroom broth and tempeh steaks with tomatillo salsa, chef Rich showed once again that vegan food is creative, crave-able, and most importantly, here to stay.

Rich quickly proved that he was there to compete — and win. After the first dish, one judge said he was “astounded by the flavor and richness” of a dish without animal fats.

His second dish featured tempeh steaks with tomatillo salsa, and one judge added that the “tempeh looked tempting!”

This week’s Chopped isn’t the first time vegan food has reigned supreme on a decisively non-vegan show. In June of 2010, chef Chloe Coscarelli competed on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars winning with flavors such as chocolate strawberry shortcake and crème-filled chocolate orange. Consistently, vegan chefs have gone head-to-head with non-vegan competitors, and through a masterful display of delicious plant-based cooking, they’ve won—making it clear that meat-, egg-, and dairy-free eating has reached a level of sophistication, flavor, and creativity that not just rivals but exceeds its meat-laden counterparts.